Laila Watkins is a 10-year veteran technology teacher specialist and a former middle school math teacher with Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS). But, until three years ago, she had had no formal training to understand the most important tool in the learning process—the brain.
“How you can use strategies to help that brain work to retain that information, to learn that information…how a student feels in a classroom correlates to what they learn. Those are big things that I didn’t know,” Watkins explained.
Watkins was among the first in FCPS to receive dedicated training on Mind, Brain, and Education Science (MBE). The approach to becoming MBE practitioners has been intentional and deliberately organic, a word used often by FCPS leadership
“Teachers are seeing other teachers be more successful because they are using Mind, Brain, Education strategies,” said Dr. Mike Markoe, FCPS Interim Superintendent. “They want to know what those teachers are doing that they may not be doing, and it has a contagious, organic impact within our schools.”
Dr. Markoe oversees curriculum instruction and innovation, in addition to the accelerating achievement and equity department, the organizational development department, and the system accountability and school administration team. He was first introduced to The Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) in 2017, and said he was immediately drawn to the center’s work in translating Mind, Brain, and Education Science (MBE) research because of the research-informed practices that were going to quickly result in improved student learning.
“We’ve been very strategic about introducing it to both teachers and leaders,” said Dr. Markoe. “We’ve had that organic growth within the system.”
The investment Frederick County has made in its school system has yielded great results. According to their website, FCPS surpassed the state average SAT score in 2019 and the 2018 graduation rate. The 2018 average dropout rate was approximately half of the state’s average. Additionally, students in the 2020 graduating class received a combined $53 million in scholarship offers.
Margaret “Meg” Lee, FCPS Director of Organizational Development, was an early advocate for the district to invest in MBE. She recalled the challenge the district was facing—like so many others across the country—to close the achievement gap.
“We had, as most districts do, an achievement gap that we were attacking from many different directions, and we weren’t seeing significant progress.” – Margaret “Meg” Lee, FCPS Director of Organizational Development
Frederick County Public Schools embarked on the journey to become MBE practitioners in 2014. The steps taken in the first three years included learning about the brain and professional learning focused on creating a growth-mindset culture.
After making a connection with the CTTL in 2016 and sending a group of staff to the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy in 2017, the collaboration continued to evolve with FCPS sending groups of staff to the Academy each year since. In 2019, FCPS conducted a book study of Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education for administrators, teacher specialists, and instructional directors. They also participated in the pilot launch of Neuroteach Global™, the CTTL’s collection of MBE research-informed micro-courses.
Most recently, in September of 2020, FCPS implemented Neuroteach Global™ as part of the three-year new-teacher induction program with a goal of all new teachers completing all 12 of the micro-courses offered. More than 300 teachers were enrolled in micro-courses in the 2020-2021 school year, and 230 teachers have been enrolled this school year.
“MBE puts the students first and the science behind how the brain works first,” said Michelle Keegin a 23-year FCPS veteran. “It just makes sense, and it works.”
Request the full case study to learn how FCPS is implementing MBE Science into its culture, its work with The CTTL, the emergence of champions and strategic partnerships, and the impact on the development of the district’s students and teachers.
